A small child creeps, runs, leaps, swings and finally wades through the
jungle. As he goes he hears various animal noises, the perpetrators of which
are revealed on the following page. The torn-paper collage illustrations offer
an accompaniment to this traditional rhyme.
From the Publisher
Friendly advice for reading fun included in every book! READ AND SHARE is a
unique first library for parents and children that helps build early readers’
confidence. Grouped in four progressive levels, Read and Share books –
available individually for the first time – are specially selected for
qualities that encourage literacy skills and a love of reading. Sixteen
top-quality books with notes for extending reading fun inspire the confidence
parents and children need to experience the joys of reading . . . Together.
Plus an informative Parents’ Handbook! What is Read and Share? -An expert
selection of sixteen high-quality picture books by superb authors and
illustrators, featuring a multicultural array of subjects, including poetry and
rhymes, traditional songs, stories, and information books -Four progressive
levels – Beginnings, Early Steps, Next Steps, and Taking Off – each including
four fabulous picture books -Two full spreads inside each book offering
suggestions and activities inspired by the story, designed to help parents and
children get the most out of each book – and build a foundation for reading
success -A separate 24-page, full-color Parents’ Handbook providing extensive
practical information and detailed answers to many of the questions parents ask
about encouraging their children’s literacy
Publishers Weekly
Part nursery rhyme, part guessing game, Lacome’s playful book of paper
collages conducts an imaginary jungle tour. “Walking through the jungle, /
What do you see? / Do you hear a noise? / What could it be?’ reads the text on
the first spread, which shows a toddler against a blank background
contemplating the sound “ssssss.’ Turn the page, and that sibilant sound can
be traced to a snake looping its way through a lush tropical wilderness.
Illustrations integrate the foreign and the familiar (for example, some trees
and vines sport heart-shaped leaves), and subtle variations in color disguise
the frequent starkness of the cut-paper medium. Clean patterns and benevolent
depictions of the animals balance the impact of Lacome’s deep, dramatic palette
and dense compositions–while her jungle teems with exotica, it is never
chaotic. Layout and pacing are effectively varied, likely to keep vicarious
jungle-goers on their toes. Ages 2-up. (Mar.)
School Library Journal
PreS-K-A young child walks, stomps, creeps, and leaps through the jungle to
such questions as, “What do you see?’ “Can you hear a noise?’ and “What can
it be?’ answered by “Over there! An elephant’ (or monkey or lion). Is he
following me?’ Readers first see a double-paged spread, text on the left, the
toddler performing the action described on the right. Animal sounds lead him
through the next spreads, which have the answers and a page-and-a-half picture
of each creature against colorful backgrounds thick with stylized plants.
Although junglelike in their density, they have a flatness that gives the
illustrations, done in paper collage augmented with what appears to be crayon
and colored pencil, a cluttered feeling. The simple repetitive text, jungle
animals, and sound effects will appeal to young children, but this book doesn’t
have the spark that makes even the simplest text come alive. Both Bill Martin’s
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Holt, 1983) and Sue Williams’s I Went
Walking (Harcourt, 1990) are similar, but more satisfying, choices.-Karen
James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY”